| Unit Name: | Sudanese Air Force |
| Country: |  Sudan |
| Type: | Air force |
| Role: | Aerial warfare |
| Size: | 13,000 personnel |
| Command Structure: | Sudanese Armed Forces |
| Equipment: | 166 aircraft[1] |
| Battles: | |
| Commander1: | Essam al-Din Saeed |
| Commander1 Label: | Air Force Commander |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Fin flash |
| Aircraft Attack: | Su-24, Su-25, Nanchang Q-5 |
| Aircraft Helicopter: | Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-17, Bell 205, Bell 212 |
| Aircraft Helicopter Attack: | Mil Mi-24, Mil Mi-35 |
| Aircraft Trainer: | Hongdu JL-8, Guizhou JL-9 |
| Aircraft Transport: | Il-76, An-12, An-26, An-30, An-32, C-130, DHC-5 |
The Sudanese Air Force (Arabic: القوّات الجوّيّة السودانيّة|Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya As-Sudaniya) is the air force operated by the Republic of the Sudan. As such it is part of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The Sudanese Air Force was founded immediately after Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1956. The British assisted in the Air Force's establishment, providing equipment and training. Four new Hunting Provost T Mk 51s were delivered for jet training in 1961. In 1958, the Sudanese Air Force's transport wing acquired its first aircraft, a single Hunting President. In 1960 the Sudanese Air Force received an additional four re-furbished RAF Provosts and two more Hunting Presidents. Also in 1960, the transport wing's capability was increased by the addition of two Pembroke C Mk 54s.
The SAF gained its first combat aircraft when 12 Jet Provosts with a close air support capability were delivered in 1962. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union and China started supplying the Sudanese Air Force with aircraft. This included supply of Shenyang F-5 fighters (F-5/FT-5 variants).[2]
The air force flies a mixture of transport planes, fighter jets and helicopters which are mainly sourced from the Soviet Union/Russia and China. However, not all the aircraft are in a fully functioning state and the availability of spare parts has been limited. In 1991, the two main air bases were at the capital Khartoum and Wadi Sayyidna near Omdurman.[3]
On 4 April 2001, a Sudanese Antonov An-24 aircraft crashed in Adaril (Adar Yeil, Adar Yale), Sudan. The fifteen dead included a general, seven lieutenant generals, three brigadiers, a colonel, a lieutenant colonel and a corporal.[4]
In 2009, Sudan made a successful deal to buy two different batches of 12 MiG-29 Russian fighter jets each.[5] There were 23 MiG-29s in active service as of late 2008.[6] However, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement claimed to have shot down one MiG-29 with large-caliber machine-gun fire on 10 May 2008, killing the pilot of the plane, a retired Russian Air Force fighter pilot; the Sudanese government denied the allegation.[7] South Sudan also claimed to have shot down a Sudanese MiG-29 during the 2012 border conflict.[8]
In mid-2011, members of the UN Panel of Experts on the Sudan documented the following aircraft in Darfur which potentially indicated violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1556:
In August 2013, pictures showed Su-24's in Sudanese colors, reporting that the aircraft were among the ex Belarusian Air Force Su-24's retired in 2012.[9] Various reports have said that the air force uses Iranian drones such as the Ghods Ababil.[10] [11] [12] [13]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | ||||||
| Nanchang Q-5 | China | attack | A-5 | 20[14] | ||
| Shenyang J-6 | China | fighter | F-6 | 8 | ||
| Chengdu J-7 | China | fighter | F-7 | 20 | ||
| MiG-21 | Soviet Union | fighter | MiG-21 | 4 | ||
| MiG-23 | Soviet Union | fighter | MiG-23 | 3 | ||
| MiG-29 | Soviet Union | multirole | MiG-29 | 10 | 1 is used for conversion training. | |
| Sukhoi Su-24 | Soviet Union | attack | Su-24M | 3[15] | Delivered from Belarus starting in 2013.[16] | |
| Sukhoi Su-25 | Soviet Union | attack | Su-25 | 9 | 3 are used for conversion training. | |
| Transport | ||||||
| Antonov An-12 | Soviet Union | transport | An-12 | 5 | ||
| Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | transport | An-26 | 2 | ||
| Antonov An-30 | Soviet Union | transport | An-30/32 | 4 | ||
| C-130 Hercules | United States | transport | C-130H | 1 | ||
| DHC-5 Buffalo | Canada | transport | DHC-5 | 1 | ||
| Ilyushin Il-76 | Soviet Union | heavy transport | Il-76 | 1 | ||
| Combat helicopter | ||||||
| Bell 205 | United States | utility | Bell 205 | 2 | ||
| Bell 212 | United States | utility | Bell 212 | 3 | ||
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | utility | Mi-8/17/171 | 24 | ||
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | attack | Mi-24/35 | 35 | ||
| Training aircraft | ||||||
| Guizhou JL-9 | China | jet trainer | FTC-2000 | 6 | ||
| Hongdu JL-8 | China/Pakistan | jet trainer | K-8 | 5 | ||
| UAV | ||||||
| mohajer-6 | Iran | UCAV | N/A | |||
Previous notable aircraft operated were the BAC Jet Provost, Douglas C-47,[17] MBB Bo 105, and the Agusta-Bell 212 helicopter.[18] [19]
| Missile | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAM | ||||||
| R-77 | Russia | air-to-air BVR missile | R-77 | N/A[20] | ||
| R-73 (missile) | Russia | Short-range air-to-air missile | R-73 (missile) | N/A | ||
| R-27 (missile) | Russia | air-to-air BVR missile | R-27 (missile) | N/A | ||
| K-13 (missile) | Russia | Short-range air-to-air missile | K-13 (missile) | N/A | ||
| PL-8 (missile) | China | Short-range air-to-air missile | PL-8 (missile) | 40 | ||